CAMBPELL TAKES U16 BOYS CROWN 

Series two of the All-Irelands at Keady Tassagh Armagh were the main focus this past weekend. Johnny Campbell put his loss at Ballinagree in the U18 a couple of weeks ago behind him when he beat Jack Allen by the last shot in the boys U16 final. Allen got off to the worst possible start getting no great distance out of his first two shots, but recovered well in two more to the bus shelter, Campbell had eighty meters of odds and Allen only beat this tip by ten meters with his fifth. Campbell opened Twynams bend with a massive fifth shot that raised the bowl of odds. There was no let up from Campbell as he followed long shots of Allen's to the Creamery Lane to hold his bowl advantage. Allen got a super bowl to McCann’s that looked like it would knock odds but again Campbell followed it and beat it well. Allen followed up with another great bowl down the hill past the ESSO sign but Campbell was in blistering form and lined a well-played bowl, got a run and beat the line.

​

AILBHE TAKES INTERMEDIATE TITLE

In the return route Ailbhe O' Shea with her huge crowd of support put in a fantastic finish to take the Ladies Intermediate title from Lily O' Rourke. Overall this was a poor standard of Intermediate. Playing for a stake of €5200 a-side. Two poor opening bowls each to McCanns where O' Rourke had a six metre advantage. O' Shea took her first lead by thirty meters with a big third shot. O' Shea had an opportunity to raise big odds when O’Rourke’s fifth was of a short order but O.Shea only beat this tip by fifty meters. O' Rourke was very right with her next and almost a bowl of odds down. O.Rourke got a huge rub to the railings with her seventh and O' Shea was very right again and dropped a lot if odds to one meter. O' Rourke played a super bowl past the Creamery Lane that won her back the lead by three meters, but O.Shea was back in front after her next. Out and around Twynams bend it was still anyone’s score. O.' Rourke got an incredible fifteenth shot that just fell short of the last bend and O' Shea done well to come within five meters of it. O' Shea got a smashing shot out full sight looking down at the line. A bad mistake at the wrong time from O' Rourke when her bowl turned into the right bank at the Bus Shelter. She opted for a purley que with her next that was too weak and fell right almost a bowl for O.Shea. There was no doubt about O’Shea’s last perfect over the sop and beat the line.

​

STRONG FINISH FROM O'REILLY, DENIES CONNOLLY

The final score of the day on Saturday was the Junior B between Ruaíri O' Reilly and Ger Connolly playing for a stake of €8600 a-side. Connolly got off to a great start in this score, he was well up and around past the Bus Shelter in three but his third shot was “called” and his second effort only beat the tip by fifteen meters. Both missed Twynams Bend with their fourth but O' Reilly took his first lead. Connolly played a beautiful fifth when he pitched it out around the bend that O' Reilly missed, but what a huge run he got with a totally misplaced sixth shot into the hollow. Two more each to the Creamery Lane with both players playing some big shots. Nothing separated them in three more heading for McCanns O' Reilly with a twenty five meter advantage. Connolly’s score from here went downhill, his thirteen shot was way left and caught a cone and suddenly he was almost a bowl of odds down. O' Reilly on the other hand was finishing well and raised the bowl with his sixteenth shot past McKee’s Wall. Connolly got a good bowl past the bridge but O.Reilly got a massive touch off the kerbing that secured the All-Ireland for him.

​

VETERAN TITLE GOES TO MACROOM 

Eoin O' Riordan Macroom took the Veteran All-Ireland from Johnny Kelly and took a second cup back to the Gaeltacht region, no stake in this one. He was a trap to line winner. Three shots each to the Bus Shelter where O'Riordan had a twenty five meter lead, after three more each out and around Twynams bend O' Riordan extended his lead, he should have done better with his seventh as Kelly only made the piggeries but his bowl was wide and his odds was only thirty meters. Three more excellent shots to the Creamery Lane raised the bowl of odds for O' Riordan and he followed up with two more into the hollow where he had almost two bowls, there was no back for Kelly from here, O’ Riordan at the top of the Carnival Straight in two more but Kelly got a big sixteenth keeping it well under the two bowls. O' Riordan missed the finish line in two more and Kelly saved the two bowls of odds.

​

DERVLA TOAL MALLON AND DAUGHTER CONNIE WIN ALL IRELAND TITLES IN THE SAME YEAR

There was high hopes for Méabh Cuinnea to make history, she already had the U18 All-Ireland under her belt and he favouritism made it look like it was only a matter of form, but young Connie Malllon, daughter of All-Ireland senior winner Dervla Toal Mallon had an agenda of her own in creating history by becoming the first mother-daughter duo to win All-Irelands in the same year. Mallon was a winner from start to finish, she started with two blistering shots to the railings before the Creamery Lane, after three more past the Creamery Lane up to the big tree she had sight, Mallon was very left with her sixth but it ran kindly with the brow into the dip. Cuinnea got a good seventh and Mallon's bowl was very wide right and accidentally blocked seven meters fore bowl. Cuinnea’s ninth was dreadfully unlucky, played to perfection down the left track but picked in left and she fell a bowl of odds down. Mallon went out full sight at Twynams Bend in two more and Cuinnea was caught for sight. Mallon was just short of the Bus Shelter in two more extending her lead. Two more over the finish line for Mallon to be crowned U16 champion.

​

NO HOLDING BACK MCDONAGH IN SENIOR FINAL

To bring the curtain down on this series of All-Irelands we had the men's senior final between Arthur McDonagh and Colm Rafferty playing for a stake of €7200 a-side. There is only one word to describe McDonagh performance in the score and that is awesome. He made the Bus Shelter in two huge shots up the rising road. Rafferty made a bold bid for Twynams bend in two more but fell short of full sight, McDonagh fourth what a huge shot out and around full sight, Rafferty played a smashing bowl to the piggeries, but there was no let up from McDonagh a scorcher up the right track to Gilloghy Height, this raised a bowl of odds for him as Rafferty's sixth was very left. Rafferty knocked the bowl of odds briefly with a super seventh towards the Creamery Lane, but McDonagh restored it again when he past the Creamery Lane and Rafferty buried his right. McDonagh raised a second bowl between the Creamery Lane and McCann's. McDonagh’s tenth shot was another huge bowl past the ESSO sign that took his winning margin to almost three bowls. Rafferty got a huge fourteenth well past the junior finish, McDonagh finished on a high took the crown and created a new record for the road.